Postponing elections not within the domain of NCOC: AJK PM

The AJK PM said the PTI wants to postpone elections for political gain.

MUZAFFARABAD (Dunya News) – Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider on Sunday while reacting to the proposal of National Command and Operations Center (NCOC) said that it was not within the authority of the national body.

Leader of Opposition in National Assembly and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Shehbaz Sharif telephoned the AJK PM and inquired about the NCOC s letter. Raja Farooq Haider said that postponing the elections in Azad Kashmir was not within the purview of the NCOC or the ECP.

Raja Farooq said that the elections could be postponed only if there was a state of civil war, external aggression or civil disobedience in the state, adding that at a time when coronavirus cases are declining across the country, the proposal for postponement of elections by the NCOC is beyond comprehension.

He said that the only to the Legislative Assembly has the power to postpone elections which can increase it through constitutional amendment. The election commission also does not have this power under the state’s constitution.

The AJK PM went on to say that the PTI wants to postpone elections for political gain.

During the conversation, Shehbaz Sharif said that PML-N stands by the constitution and law of Azad Kashmir.